Limit lofty academy expectations

From a concerned father whose son was sold the academy dream

If your son has been fortunate or gifted enough to make it into the academy squad for the Wellington Festival, the pinnacle of U16 academy rugby, then you will receive good advice about the possibility of your son being offered a professional contract by your club.

But it is very unlikely he will be offered a contract!

Try to let that sink in as deeply into your elevated expectations as you possibly can, and you will only then be mildly less distraught when it actually happens. Your son should take the advice on board too, as when the club finally makes the effort to let him know the bad news, he’ll be distraught, just as he is starting to revise for his A Levels.

Of course, he may be at a school, possibly through the help of a hefty scholarship, where the academic success of their pupils takes second place to their performance on the school rugby pitch. How easy is it to obtain a university place for pupil X with a Btech in some sports related subject, plus one other A level in a rather unacademic subject, as compared to pupil Y taking four academic A levels?

How much spare time in each school day would each of those pupils have to practise their skills or spend time in the gym? Would there be an advantage if one pupil went to a renowned rugby school, and the other didn’t?

The offer of a contract has to depend on many things, but ultimately it should reflect the possibility that the chosen player would, at some point in the future, step out onto the pitch and represent the club’s senior team.

That judgment is made by professional coaches whose whole life has been devoted to either playing and/or coaching at a high level. But, are they infallible? No. They are human, and decisions are made on opinions, albeit well trained and well honed opinions, from years of doing the job.

However, it does appear that your surname can have an influence as well. Did your father play for the club; is your surname well known in local rugby circles? Can your father make a phone call to the coaches suggesting his son should come off the bench in the next few minutes?

One habit you’ll develop is the ‘scratching of the head’. You’ll say ‘I don’t understand’ or ‘I don’t get it’ many times. You’ll look at reruns of videos of games your son has taken part in and wonder at the fact that the lad who missed all those tackles to let the opposition score all those tries is now on a professional contract.

You’ll wonder at the lack of effort some players put into games, or the showboating because there might be an England place up for grabs, because they know their team performance is unimportant as they already have their contract. You’ll marvel at the way the coaches stand for this but still expect your lad to give 100 per cent. And you might be surprised at the number of players who are offered contracts at 18 years old who then do not go on to make it at the club. The offer of a contract is still only the first rung of a long, steep, slippery ladder.

If your son is not offered a contract, this will be the time when you will truly learn about his desire to play pro rugby. His response to this major setback will give you the clue about how he really feels.

If he’s back in the gym wanting to improve, then you have your answer. Support him, encourage him, keep travelling those long distances, keep paying for the hotels, keep upbeat even if you feel the opposite. And above all, make sure he gets the best exam results he can. He’ll be retired for much longer than he played.

Make sure you keep in mind the vision of the players who didn’t get a contract but still played their hearts out, and then remember the vision of your lad, covered from head to toe in mud, still smiling despite the awful conditions, and be very proud indeed!